DREAMS of reaching The Crucible will have to be put on hold for another year, but Hinckley’s Andy Lee’s ambition remains undiminished.

Lee, 28, went out in the first round of qualifiers for the World Championships on Saturday, losing 10-8 to world number 65 Peter Lines.

It was the world number 74’s debut on the professional tour - he qualified for the circuit by winning the English Pro Ticket Tour play-offs in 2008, beating Adam Duffy 6-3 in the final.

But for Lee, who is based at the Willie Thorne Snooker Centre in Leicester, it was just the first of many chances to try and top his career-best ranking of 69th in the world.

He believes he will fall short of his ambition of reaching the top 64 this season, but has set himself a target of reaching the top 32 within three seasons.

Spending up to five hours a day on the practice table won’t do him any harm in that bid - and he has come an awful long way since he started playing as a 10-year-old at Hinckley Snooker Club.

Lee said: “When I was 14 or 15 I started taking it more seriously, going in myself after school. I finished my schooling at John Cleveland College, and after that I played for one year full-time because I always wanted to play snooker as a career. I got to the English under 21 final and represented England at the World Junior Championships in India.

“I just missed out on a wildcard for the world tour, then it was decision time for me. My brother had just gone to university and my parents wanted me to as well, so I went as a fall back.

“I went to De Montfort University and did a business degree which was pretty boring! I graduated at 24 and started to play to try and get on the pro tour. It took me two seasons to get on the tour, playing the challenger circuit, and it has progressed from there.

“It would be unbelievable (to play at the Crucible). It is every snooker player’s dream. It’s the pinnacle, like a footballer playing at Wembley.

“It’s the most recognisable name out there - you don’t have to be a massive snooker fan to know about the Crucible.

“My target this year was top 64 and I think I will fall short of that now. Realistically I’m looking to consolidate and push for 60th next season. I want to be in the top 32 within three seasons. After five or six seasons on the tour you know where you are. Deep down most players do, even if they don’t want to admit it!”

So how much of his success is down to talent and how much is hard work?

“You have to have something there, but I believe in the 80/20 rule - 20% raw talent and 80% hard work and how much you put in on the practice table,” said Lee.

“There are a lot of talented players out there who haven’t made it because they take it for granted that raw talent will be enough. But not everyone is like Ronnie O’Sullivan!

“I practice around four or five hours a day on average, sometimes more. When it becomes your job as such, it is different because you go into the matches to make your living.

“I still enjoy it but it becomes more frustrating when you don’t do well. There is added pressure.

“It has helped to have players like Mark Selby around, who I have grown up with. He would probably be the first to admit he’s not the most naturally gifted. He has got where he is through determination and grit.”

While concentrating on improving his own game, Lee has many a salient point to make about the game as a whole, including how the current economic crisis is having a detrimental effect on the game and attendances at the early rounds where he is currently competing.

He said: “The sponsors (gambling website 888.com) have pulled out of this year’s World Championships which doesn’t bode well.

“It can be depressing when there’s one man and his dog watching you at the qualifiers. Before, people would be flocking to them because you got to see the real person. You could speak to them afterwards and get autographs.”

He sees recent Grand Prix semi-finalist Judd Trump, a 19-year-old from Bristol, as the “next big thing in English snooker” and thinks more could be done to improve the spectacle for the fans.

“The biggest problem is that it is not an interactive sport and it’s not marketed like it was in the 80s. Ronnie (O’Sullivan) has clearly got bored which is why he’s talking about bringing the x-factor to the game, and he’s right in a way,” said Lee.

“We’ve got to keep the balance between the calm and excitement. Maybe the way to do that is just relax the rules a little bit, because the general attitude is still that it’s a gentleman’s game.

“In the 80s, even if you didn’t like snooker there were characters in it, and there are not so many now. Players see it more as a business.

“Mark Selby has helped with his ‘Jester from Leicester’ thing and there needs to be a few more players like that.”

- Keep an eye on your Times for updates on Andy’s progress over the coming months.